TCNCPAR.com / TCNCPAM.com
Congressional Procedure
A Practical Guide to the Legislative Process in the U.S. Congress: The House of Representatives and Senate Explained
By Richard A. Arenberg
Additional Resources
Pocket Constitution
Foreword, by Alan S. Frumin
Preface
Chapter 1. Congress and the Constitution
A. Introduction
B. Constitutional Provisions
C. Rules
D. Congressional Terms
E. Members of Congress
F. House of Representatives
G. Senate
H. Congressional Committees
Foreword, by Alan S. Frumin
- The Federalist No. 47, Avalon Project
- Filibuster / Unlimited Debate (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- “Defending the Filibuster: The Soul of the Senate,” by Richard A. Arenberg and Robert B. Dove
Preface
- “Defending the Filibuster: The Soul of the Senate,” by Richard A. Arenberg and Robert B. Dove
- Constitution, Article I
- Chapter epigraphs from Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar in Following the Equator (1897), University of Virginia Library
- “Following the Equator,” by Mark Twain (Gutenberg Project)
Underground Subway System Train Capitol Hill – Rayburn Hart Dirksen Russell – History
- “Congress and the Public” Gallup
- The Federalist No. 51, Avalon Project
- Congressional approval ratings over time, Gallup
- “The point of parliament,” by A.P. Herbert (Amazon)
- “Woodrow Wilson: The Essential Political Writings,” by Ronald J. Pestritto (Amazon)
- “Interview with Senator George Mitchell.” Maine Policy Review 7.1 (1998): 22-29
Chapter 1. Congress and the Constitution
1. A. Introduction
- The Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison (Amazon)
- Pocket Constitution
- Constitution, Article I, Section 1
- The Federalist No. 51, Avalon Project
- James Madison’s “necessary fence”, “Term of the Senate, [26 June] 1787,” Founders Online, National Archives
Congress for Dummies — Article 1 of the Constitution
1. B. Constitutional Provisions
- Pocket Constitution
- Constitution, Article I, Section 1
- Constitution, Article I, Section 2
- Constitution, Article I, Section 3
- Constitution, Article I, Section 6
- Constitution, Article I, Section 7
- Constitution, Article I, Section 8
- Constitution, Article II, Section 4
- Constitution, Article V
- Constitution, 25th Amendment
- “the people ought to hold the purse-strings,” Madison Debates, June 13, 1797 (Avalon Project)
- The Federalist No. 58, Avalon Project
- Appropriation Act / Appropriation Bill / Continuing Resolution / Continuing Appropriations (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Blue-Slip Resolution / Star Print (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Revenues (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Quorum (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Blue-Slipping: Enforcing the Origination Clause in the House of Representatives, CRS Report RS21236 (4-page PDF
) - The Origination Clause of the U.S. Constitution: Interpretation and Enforcement, CRS Report RL31399 (24-page PDF)
- Rules and Practices Governing Consideration of Revenue Legislation in the House and Senate, CRS Report R41408 (26-page PDF)
1. C. Rules
- Pocket Constitution
- Constitution, Article I, Section 3
- Constitution, Article I, Section 5
- Joseph Cooper, The Previous Question: Its Status as a Precedent for Cloture in the United States Senate, Senate Document No. 104, 87th Congress, 2nd Session (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1962) (32-page PDF)
- House Rules and Manual, GPO
- Senate Standing Rules, Senate
- Senate Procedure From a House Perspective, (4-page PDF)
- Commonly Used Motions and Requests in the House of Representatives, CRS Report RL32207 (20-page PDF)
- The Committee Markup Process in the House of Representatives, CRS Report RL30244 (29-page PDF)
- Filibusters and Cloture in the Senate, CRS Report RL30360 (29-page PDF)
Unwritten Rules of Congress | Ron’s Office Hours | NPR
- Filibuster / Unlimited Debate (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Cloture / Rule XXII / Nuclear Option (Congressional Glossary)
- Precedents of the House of Representatives / Cannon’s / Deschler’s / Hinds’ / House Practice (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Previous Question (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- The Legislative Process on the Senate Floor: An Introduction, CRS Report 96-548 (20-page PDF)
- The Senate as a Continuing Body, Senate
- Senate Classes: Terms of Service, SenateClasses.com
- The Senate as a Continuing Body, Henry Cabot Lodge, 1903
- Procedures for Considering Changes in Senate Rules, CRS Report R42929 (21-page PDF)
1. D. Congressional Terms
- Pocket Constitution
- Constitution, Article II, Section 3
- Terms and Sessions of Congress
- Congress by the Numbers
- Sessions, Adjournments, and Recesses of Congress, CRS Report R42977 (31-page PDF)
Terms and Sessions of Congress
- Adjournment sine die (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Lame Duck / “Lame Duck” Session (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Lame Duck Sessions of Congress, 1935-2012, CRS Report RL33677 (39-page PDF)
- Senate Consideration of Treaties, CRS Report 98-384 (6-page PDF)
1. E. Members of Congress
- Congress by the Numbers
- Congressional Leadership and Committees
- House of Representatives
- Senate
- Pocket Constitution
- Constitution, Article I, Section 2
- Constitution, Article I, Section 5
- Constitution, Article II, Section 3
- Constitution, Article V
- A Great Compromise – U.S. Senate
The Great Compromise Explained in 5 Minutes: US History Review
- Reapportionment / Redistricting / Gerrymander (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Apportionment (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Quorum (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Reapportionment and Redistricting (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- “Social Media Adoption by Members of Congress: Trends and Congressional Considerations,” CRS Report R45337, October 9, 2018 (25-page PDF
) - Gerrymandering – Wikipedia
- Census Data Mapper – U.S. Census Bureau
- My Congressional District – U.S. Census Bureau
- Apportionment and Redistricting Following the 2020 Census,” CRS Insight IN11360 (6-page PDF
) - “Congressional Redistricting 2021: Legal Framework,” CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10639 (8-page PDF)
- “Congressional Redistricting Criteria and Considerations,” CRS Insight IN11618 (5-page PDF)
Capitol Hill wealth: Some of the richest members of Congress
1. F. House of Representatives
- House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House
- House Committee on Rules
- Congressional Leadership and Committees
- Pocket Constitution
- Constitution, Article I, Section 2
- Constitution, Article I, Section 4
- Constitution, 20th Amendment
The House of Representatives in comparison to the Senate
- Bills / Measure / Passed (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- President of the Senate / President Pro Tempore (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Conference / Conference Committee (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- “Size of the U.S. House of Representatives,” CRS Insight IN11547 (5-page PDF)
- “Congress; Speaker O’Neill: Hardball or Hand Grenades?” The New York Times, June 7, 1984
- “Robert Michel Dies at 93; House G.O.P. Leader Prized Conciliation,” The New York Times, February 17, 2017
- House and Senate Vacancies: How Are They Filled? CRS Report 97-1009 (7-page PDF)
- “Delegates to the U.S. Congress: History and Current Status,” CRS Report R40555 (19-page PDF)
- The Speaker of the House: House Officer, Party Leader, and Representative, CRS Report 97-780 (19-page PDF)
- Electing the Speaker of the House of Representatives: Frequently Asked Questions, CRS Report R44243 (9-page PDF)
- The Office of the Parliamentarian in the House and Senate, CRS Report RS20544 (4-page PDF)
- Whip, Majority Whip, Minority Whip (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- “Blank Check: What It Means to Suspend the Debt Limit,” February 14, 2014, Heritage Foundation
1. G. Senate
- Senate
- Congressional Leadership and Committees
- Constitution, Article I, Section 3
- Pocket Constitution
- Filibuster / Unlimited Debate (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Unanimous Consent (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Unanimous Consent Agreement / Time Limitation Agreement (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Precedents of the House of Representatives / Cannon’s / Deschler’s / Hinds’ / House Practice (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- President of the Senate / President Pro Tempore (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Majority Leader (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Notes on the Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787, Avalon Project
- Senate Vacancies, Senate
- “The point of parliament,” by A.P. Herbert (Amazon)
- House and Senate Vacancies: How Are They Filled? CRS Report 97-1009 (7-page PDF)
- U.S. Senate Vacancies: Contemporary Developments and Perspectives, CRS Report R44781 (24-page PDF)
- Filling U.S. Senate Vacancies: Perspectives and Contemporary Developments, CRS Report R40421 (24-page PDF)
- The President Pro Tempore of the Senate: History and Authority of the Office, CRS Report RL30960 (34-page PDF)
- Presidential and Vice Presidential Succession: Overview and Current Legislation, CRS Report RL31761 (30-page PDF)
- The Office of the Parliamentarian in the House and Senate, CRS Report RS20544 (4-page PDF)
- What Makes the Senate Work, Howard Baker, 1998, Senate
- NCSL’s Elections Resources
- Filling Vacancies in the Office of United States Senator, NCSL
1. H. Congressional Committees
- Also see Chapter 3. Committees
- Joint Committee (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Congressional Leadership and Committees
- Speaker of the House
- Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, Senate
- Committees, House
- Committees, Senate
- Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920 to 2023, CRS Report RL31572 (19-page PDF)
- House Standing Committee Chairs and Ranking Minority Members: Rules Governing Selection Procedures, CRS Report RS21165 (10-page PDF)
- House Committees: Categories and Rules for Committee Assignments, CRS Reports 98-151 (8-page PDF)
- House Committee Chairs: Considerations, Decisions, and Actions as One Congress Ends and a New Congress Begins, CRS Report RL34679 (34-page PDF)
- Senate Committees: Categories and Rules for Committee Assignments, CRS Report 98-183 (5-page PDF)
- “Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics,” by Woodrow Wilson (Project Gutenberg)
Congressional Committees: Crash Course Government and Politics #7
- Committee Assignment Process in the U.S. Senate: Democratic and Republican Party Procedures, CRS Report RL30743 (19-page PDF)
- “Rules Governing Senate Committee and Subcommittee Assignment Procedures,” CRS Report R46806 (23-page PDF)
- Committee Types and Roles, CRS Report 98-241 (5-page PDF)
- House Committee Party Ratios: 98th-118th Congresses, CRS Report R40478 (32-page PDF)
Next: Chapter 2. Introduction of Legislation
For more than 40 years, TheCapitol.Net and its predecessor, Congressional Quarterly Executive Conferences, have been teaching professionals from government, military, business, and NGOs about the dynamics and operations of the legislative and executive branches and how to work with them.
Our custom on-site and online training, publications, and audio courses include congressional operations, legislative and budget process, communication and advocacy, media and public relations, testifying before Congress, research skills, legislative drafting, critical thinking and writing, and more.
TheCapitol.Net is on the GSA Schedule, MAS, for custom on-site and online training. GSA Contract GS02F0192X
TheCapitol.Net is a non-partisan small business.
Teaching how Washington and Congress work ™
